A renewed interest in Web 2.0

I’ve been doing “web stuff” since the mid-90s, both for fun and in various consulting and full-time professional engagements. My focus has been primarily on Java web and enterprise application development. A lot of that time has spent deep in the backends of these systems, working on databases, web services, and various other items behind the scenes. I still have decent HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AJAX skills, but they have by no means been a focus.

Another interesting distraction I have discovered along the way is mobile development on the Android platform. I started building simple applications. Soon, I found out that my low-end Motorola Cliq wasn’t the most performant device out there and got involved with the rooting and custom ROM scene. I have enjoyed that very much, but I also quickly realized that my lack of deep OS and hardware experience will probably severely limit my productivity.

I’ve been finding myself in a bit of a quarter-life crisis recently. I have this overwhelming desire to go into business for myself and build a new web company. I have some very interesting ideas I am thinking about productizing, but I’m not entirely sure what’s feasible. I have been reading about a lot of the startups out there and the sorts of things they are doing and have been simultaneously enthused and intimidated. I am enthusiastic about how many opportunities are out there and how many great ideas have been able to find wings. I am intimidated because I am realizing how out of touch I have become in 4+ years working on the same types of projects for the same employer.

So, I am immersing myself. If I set it up correctly, this should be the first of my blog posts to automatically be picked up as an RSS feed and announced via my Twitter account!